It’s unfortunate that even though digital companies have multiple data protections in place to safeguard customer data, hackers still find a way to bypass them and gain access to sensitive information. Despite an increased focus on cybersecurity, data breaches have become more frequent in recent times. And unfortunately, this time around, Discord.io has fallen victim to one such data breach. Keep reading to learn more about what data hackers have access to and what the company is doing about it.
Discord.io Confirms Massive Data Leak
As per an official statement by Discord.io, the platform experienced a significant data breach on August 14, 2023, resulting in the exposure of sensitive and non-sensitive information of over 760,000 users. The platform believes that “bad actors” were able to gain access to the platform’s user database by exploiting an existing vulnerability within its website’s code.
In case you are unaware, Discord.io is a third-party platform that lets users generate custom invite links for their Discord channels. It was confirmed that the breach on Discord.io was genuine after the hacker tried to sell the database on the popular cybercrime forum Breached. They even went on to provide four user details taken from the database as evidence of the theft. This was first noticed and reported by the folks at BleepingComputer.
If you examine the image above, you can decipher the gravity of this attack. The revealed user data gives us a glimpse of what the attacker was able to extract from Discord.io. User data that was leaked included sensitive user information such as usernames, Discord IDs, email addresses, billing addresses, and salted and hashed passwords. It has been confirmed by the platform that user payment details were not compromised in the attack as Discord.io does not store user information.
In addition, the platform acknowledges that certain user information, such as internal user IDs, avatar details, user status, coin balance, API keys, registration dates, last payment dates, and membership expiration dates, were exposed in the data breach. However, Discrod.io considers this data to be “non-sensitive” in nature.
As of now, in light of this attack, Discord.io has suspended its operations indefinitely. If you visit the Discord.io website now, it will greet you with the message “We are stopping all operations for the foreseeable future.” The platform has further stated that it is going to completely rewrite its website’s code and will introduce a complete overhaul of its security measures.
So, Is Discord Shutting Down?
After reading this news, a question that many will have is – Is Discord shutting down completely? But as mentioned above, Discord.io is a third-party platform that allows you to generate custom invite links for your Discord channel. It is a companion app for Discord, and it is not the same as the Discord platform. So, if you’re worried about Discord going dark, you can relax. It’s not going anywhere, and you can continue using Discord with friends. You can still access and use Discord as you would do on any given day.
Furthermore, if you are a Discord.io user, you must be wondering what steps you can take regarding the data breach. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do at this time if your personal details were among those leaked. However, as a precaution, I will recommend that you change your Discord password as well as any other accounts where you may have used the same password. This will help ensure your security and safety online.
Also, remember that as of now, your premium Discord.io membership stands canceled, and you will not be charged again for the same. In case you have opted for the service in the last 30 days, the platform has promised to refund the amount in full. All you have to do is contact the platform at support@discord.io with your username and email address used to make the purchase.
